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The Social Security Administration under President Donald Trump has a number it’s proud of: $645 million.
In a Nov. 2 update on its 2026 fiscal year, the agency said that after restarting the Treasury Offset Program, which can intercept federal payments like tax refunds, it “recovered approximately $645 million in delinquent programmatic debts since resuming collections in March 2025.” (1) In plain English, that’s money Social Security says people owed it.
For people collecting benefits, one way to end up owing Social Security is an overpayment. The agency defines an overpayment simply: “you receive more money than you should have from us.” (2)
And since April 2025, the default for not responding to an overpayment notice is steep: Social Security now withholds 50% of your monthly benefit, up from 10%. (SSI recipients face 10%.) (3)
I’ve been a CPA since 1981, and here’s my advice if an overpayment notice lands in your mailbox: Don’t just pay it without checking. Here are five things to do first, and the clock starts the day the notice is dated.
1. Know what’s at stake: Half your check
Social Security says that if you don’t repay within 30 days of the notice date, it will “withhold 50% of your benefit.” (2)
That’s a gut punch. Social Security estimates the average retired worker’s check at $2,094 a month before the 2027 cost-of-living increase. (4) Half of that is $1,047 — gone, every month, until the debt is paid.
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2. Act within 30 days to stop the clock
This is the single most important deadline in the letter.
“If you ask for a waiver or appeal within 30 days, we won’t collect the money until we decide on your request,” according to Social Security. (2)
Miss that window, and withholding can start while you’re still arguing. So don’t let the letter sit on the kitchen counter. Open it, read it and mark the date.
3. Think they got the math wrong? Appeal
Mistakes happen. If you believe you weren’t overpaid, or that the amount is wrong, you can appeal.
The agency says an appeal “should only be filed if you disagree with the overpayment amount.” (2) You generally have 60 days from the date you received the notice to file. (5)
Ask how the agency calculated what you owe, and compare it to your own records: bank deposits, earnings, and any letters you got about changes to your benefit.
4. Not your fault? Ask them to forgive it
Even if the overpayment is real, you may not have to pay it back.
Social Security’s waiver form, the SSA-632, asks you to show that “the overpayment was not my fault and I cannot afford to pay the money back and/or it is unfair for some other reasons.” (6)
The agency’s overpayment guide puts it this way: The overpayment wasn’t your fault, and paying it back would cause financial hardship or be unfair. (5)
Waivers aren’t automatic, so answer every question on the form carefully.
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5. If you owe it, ask for a smaller bite
Sometimes the overpayment is real and a waiver isn’t in the cards. You still don’t have to accept 50%.
The SSA-632 is formally titled “Request For Waiver Of Overpayment Recovery Or Change In Repayment Rate.” (6) If Social Security can’t waive the debt, the form says it may use your answers “to decide how you should repay the money.” (6)
In other words, the same form can be used to ask to repay in smaller monthly amounts. Fill it out honestly and completely.
My honest take
Nobody likes owing money, and if you were truly paid too much, you should pay it back. That’s fair.
But the burden shouldn’t be all yours. The agency can make mistakes, and its default is to take half of your check if you do nothing.
So treat an overpayment letter like a tax notice. Don’t panic, don’t ignore it, and don’t just pay it. Check the math, mark the 30-day deadline, and make Social Security show its work.
Sources: 1. Social Security Administration; 2. Social Security Administration; 3. Social Security Administration (PolicyNet EM-25029); 4. Social Security Administration, Office of the Chief Actuary; 5. Social Security Administration (Publication 05-10098); 6. Social Security Administration (Form SSA-632)
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